Injuries and Other Death Rates (Including Motor Vehicle Accident Deaths and Suicide Death Rate)

Disclosure

Please read footnotes, titles and explanations with each chart for source(s) and explanation of data. It is important to note that some of the data presented below can not be taken as absolutely definitive since a minimum of 15 cases are required to calculate a stable age-adjusted rate. Considering the small populations in our rural counties, in several instances, the age-adjusted rates displayed below were calculated with fewer than 15 cases. Also, where the information is left blank, counts/rates were suppressed, likely due to having fewer than 5 reported cases within the specified category.

Instructions

Some of the tables below have filters. In such, use these filters to select the “category” for which you are interested, this will also change the trend chart. Then, click the county/counties within the legend of the associated trend chart to view the county/counties for which you are interested.

Suicide and motor vehicle death rates fluctuate annually, but have similar trends if averaged out over decades.

Other Death Rates per 100,000

Select the category by using the filter below. Select and De-select counties by clicking the legend options.

Injuries/accidents are included in the top ten leading causes of death in Kentucky, as well as the nation. Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA) are the fourth leading cause of death in the Kentucky and the United States. Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in Kentucky and tenth in the Nation.

Analysis

Kentucky and our district have much higher rates of MVA deaths than the nation. Some counties (Clinton, Green, Casey) are trending down over the years. Cumberland County’s rates are 5 times the national average and at least 2 times higher than the other counties in our District. Motor vehicle accidents are preventable much of the time.

Not only do suicide rates continue to increase in Kentucky and the Nation, all counties in the Lake Cumberland District show suicide death rates higher than the national average. Although the rate for Cumberland County has decreased from 2011 thru 2015, it is still double that of the national average.

Discussion

There are some simple things everyone can do that will keep you safer when driving or riding in a car:

use a seat belt, all the time,

make sure children are properly buckled in the back, using a car seat or booster seat that is correct for their age, height, and weight,

Future plans include providing information to the local health coalitions so that they are aware of the data regarding MVA and suicide. It is our hope that education can be shared among the communities.